


All the Little Differences.

by flashwitch



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Character Study, Gen, Memory Loss, spoilers for stolen century
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-19
Updated: 2017-08-19
Packaged: 2018-12-17 08:56:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11848242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flashwitch/pseuds/flashwitch
Summary: Lucretia thinks about her old friends and her new friends, and how they are the same and different.





	1. Chapter 1

Davenport has his good days and his bad days.

He used to have a lot more good days, days when he almost seemed like himself. Days when he could string together whole sentences, days when he could nearly function by himself. Those were the days Lucretia almost didn’t feel guilty. They are few and far between now. 

The bad days have been getting steadily more frequent since their old friends arrived. New friends now, she hopes. She isn’t sure exactly how the Voidfish works, that was Magnus’ job, but she thinks maybe the reminders of his old life are making him fight to remember.

And it’s _hurting_ him.

She hates it. She never wanted to hurt him. She never wanted to hurt any of them. But she can’t send them away, not just to protect him. She needs them here. they have important work to do. And... she knew she shouldn't be, that she didn't deserve to be, but she was _so happy_ to see them again, to have them see her. She’s visited them, of course, kept an eye on them, but this is different.

They’re right there.

She can touch them, she can talk to them, she wants to joke with them and hug them and tell them everything and it hurts, so much, but she can’t send them away.

They’re bringing back the artefacts. They’re doing _so well._  She needs them here.

She pastes on a smile and presses the buzzer on her desk. Davenport enters.

He looks ok today, she thinks. He’s standing straight shouldered and he’s dressed neatly.

“Good morning, Davenport. How are you?”

His mouth works silently for a moment, struggling to find the words he can’t quite remember, can’t quite grasp.

“G… L… D… Davenport,” he finally manages. Not a good day then. She closes her eyes and takes a long slow breath. She reminds herself that this is worth it. That Davenport would be ok when everything was said and done. She was going to fix everything.

“Good. I’m glad you’re alright,” she answered, as if he’d managed the words he’d been looking for. “We’ve got a busy day ahead.”


	2. Chapter 2

Lucretia has to reassess her thoughts as she watches Merle, Magnus and Taako bring back artefact after artefact. While Davenport’s mind seems to be crumbling under the pressure of being around his forgotten friends, it seems to be having the opposite effect on the boys. When she saw them properly for the first time in years (not sneaking glances, not checking up on them, having them standing in front of her close enough to touch, to talk to) it broke her heart. But the longer they work together, the closer she gets to them, the more they learn, the closer they get to the men she remembers. 

At the beginning, they were not themselves. Merle was forgetful and harder than he had ever been. He was actively hiding his softer side, putting on a front of harsh uncaring. This was not the man who founded the First Church of Fungston.  Or at least, that’s what he wanted people to think. She thought perhaps that he was kinder than he first appeared. She knew, of course, about his children, about his ministering, about everything he was hiding. It wasn't right, that he was hiding. He shouldn't have to hide, not with her, not with them. 

Magnus was foolhardy, careless with his own life in a way he had never been before (even when dying didn’t matter Magnus never spent his life unwisely). She knew some of what he had been through, how he had been so happy in Ravensroost, for a time acting like the young man he appeared to be, and how he had lost it all. But she thought the core of him, like Merle, was still there. He was still the protector, still putting other people first. He seemed so  _young._ And he wouldn't come back from a death here. Not without her intervention. 

Then there was Taako. Aside from Davenport, he’d had to forget the most. Lup was so intrinsically tied to his life, his memories, that stripping her away had left holes. Lucretia almost didn’t recognise him, he was so dazed, so different. More selfish and not as smart as she remembered. Still prideful, still beautiful, but he didn’t cook. Ever. And the first time he called himself an idiot, she’d struggled to hide her shock. She knew he’d been through some shit, that he was less confident in his abilities, but Taako had always been proud of his mind, of his magic, and most of all of his cooking. It was so strange and just… wrong to see him this way.

But over the months, as they gathered the relics, she saw shifts in the way they behaved. Magnus taking care, being careful, _caring._ Looking after the people around him, always the protector. Merle, letting his softer side out again, letting them see the real him. Taako, walking around with Lup’s staff in his hand, learning how to be around friends again. Letting his mind shine through.

Lucretia isn’t sure how what’s tearing Davenport down is building up her other friends, but she is glad.

If she closes her eyes, it’s almost like everything is OK.

 

 


End file.
